Chocolate
by OneshotPrincess
Summary: Life is extremely ordinary for Wakana. She goes to school, meets with her friends, studies hard...and gets regularly harassed by the leader of the Nura Gumi. Yep, really ordinary.
1. Encounter 1: Park

**A/N: **I just couldn't keep my mind off of Rihan and Wakana's first meeting. And somehow, I just think it'd be an atypical meeting and this little plot bunny popped up. Rihan's second love. R&R

**Warning:** Possible OoC

**Disclaimer: I don't own Nurarihyon no Mago.**

.

Nura Rihan was currently feeling very uncomfortable. Why, you ask? Because, right now, he wasn't wearing his favorite, comfortable, traditional yukata. Instead he was wearing a dark jacket-a_ jacket_- and jeans (!) because apparently the world had moved on and he had to move with the times. Plus, their neighbor's _modern_ girl had called the Nura household tasteless. Kino had taken the insult to heart.

Rihan frowned, tugging at the stupid jacket. But then, the girl _had _changed her mind about traditional clothes after seeing Rihan. Rihan grinned and did a mental tap dance.

'_Congratulations! Over two hundred years old and you still got it!'_

What was he doing out, again? Rihan thought as he wolf-whistled at a hot piece of ass by the side of the road. Said hot piece of ass blushed and smiled. Rihan smirked.

Oh, yeah. Grocery shopping for Kino. She had given him a list that was taller than himself and Rihan was pretty tall if he said so himself. Where was the list anyway? Rihan searched his jeans pockets and jacket pockets. The taller-than-himself-list was nowhere to be found. Oh, well, nothing to do but relax, laze about and go home to an enraged Kubinashi. Sounded like a perfect plan…

And just then, something slammed into him with the force of a small…human being?

"Gomen-nasai!"

Rihan staggered before regaining his balance before looking up to find a yellow and brown blur disappearing through the crowd. Rihan blinked before shrugging and walking on his own merry way.

.

"What exactly are we doing here again?" Wakana huffed. Her polite upbringing had screamed at her to stop and apologize when she had all but slammed into that man at the market place. But she barely had time to shout out a 'sorry' before she was dragged off by her best friends.

"I told you, didn't I?" Yuki whispered excitedly. "We're about to teach Hawatori-sensei a lesson!"

"And how are we going to do that?" Ai asked, just as skeptical as Wakana.

"Well, I've got it all figured out!" Yuki replied, picking up a stick. "Hawatori-sensei-" she drew a stick-figure with a gigantic afro-"always uses this route though the park to get home. Now I've made a careful and discreet trap-" she drew a circle then crossed it out. Wakana glanced up above the bush they hiding behind to look at the pile of sticks that was hiding a hole. When does Yuki do this stuff?

"We place Wakana, his star pupil on the road crying for help. He rushes to her side and-BOOM! He falls into the trap! I get my revenge!" Yuki finished gleefully.

"Uh-huh," said Ai. "And this is revenge for what exactly?"

"Never mind!"

Wakana felt beads of sweat roll down her head. Why was she friends with them again?

"**GYAAAHHH!"**

All three girls froze. One by one their heads popped out of the bush to stare at the hole in the ground.

"Was that-?"Asked Yuki.

"Nope," replied Ai.

"Should we-?" Asked Yuki.

"Yep," replied Ai.

And just like that, Wakana found herself alone with her best friends running as though the devil was after them. Wakana considered joining them before sighing.

Curse her polite upbringing.

She slowly got up and walked to the edge of the hole and knelt to get a better look. She was fully prepared to spin a tale of lies to Hawatori-sensei to save her friends but it wasn't Hawatori-sensei in the hole.

It was a man of roughly twenty years of age. His skin was pale and his long hair was a silky black color, tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He was rubbing his neck. All in all, he looked very…good (to put it extremely mildly).

Wakana thought she felt her cheeks warming. She couldn't help it. She blushed.

'_Damn it Wakana! Your 17 years old! You shouldn't be acting like some high-school freshman!'_

Suddenly, the man looked up. Chocolate eyes met golden-amber ones. And just like that, Wakana felt all coherent thoughts leave her. If she had blushed before, she was flaming now.

Wakana would have liked to have said something smart right about now. But instead she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Gomen-nasai, Pretty-san!"

He blinked (possibly in surprise) and she felt her cheeks grow even hotter.

.

Rihan stared out of the hole and his fuzzy mind registered three things. One, he was sitting in a hole. Two, this girl had just called him 'Pretty-san' and three…Chocolate. The girl reminded him of chocolate...Yummy chocolate.

From what he could see, the girl was seventeen and had chocolate-brown hair and eyes. Her eyes were widened in concern and her cheeks were red. Not surprising, really.

What was surprising was that he was getting a distinct craving for chocolate just by looking at her. Strange, he was never a 'dessert' sort of person. In fact, one could say he distinctly preferred spice.

Still, food thoughts aside, the girl wasn't what you'd call 'beautiful' but she was distinctly adorable. She had the kind of sweet face that no one could resist. And she was blushing. How cute! Rihan smirked, his baffled mind finally regaining some of its old swagger.

"Are you all right?" the girl asked. Her red cheeks were fading to a faint pink. Still cute! "Do you need some help?" she asked, offering her hand.

Rihan stared at her for a moment. He could probably jump out of here faster but she had offered her hand and it would be rude not to accept. More importantly, he wanted to confirm if her creamy hands were as soft as they looked.

He stood up and grabbed her hand. It was soft. She grabbed back and pulled. He jumped up at about the same time which resulted in him falling on top of her. Which is exactly what Rihan had intended, of course.

The girl blushed harder and Rihan grinned. She was way too adorable! He felt like a girl who'd just been given a fat, fluffy teddy bear. They were so close, it would be easy to nip her on the lips like he wanted to but instead he rolled off of her and offered her his hand.

She took it and raised herself to her feet, slightly unsteadily. She let go of his hand rather quickly.

"Arigatou," Rihan said casually. "I'm Rihan, by the way."

"Huh? Oh, I-I'm…Wa…kana," the girl (Wakana) stuttered.

"So then, Wakana-chan," Rihan said. Wakana started probably surprised at the suffix. "Who dug that hole of yours?"

"A-a friend," Wakana said, still looking flustered. Then, she looked angry at herself. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that!"

Rihan chuckled. "Don't worry, Wakana-chan. Women usually find it hard to control themselves around me." Rihan winked. "Allow me to give you a demonstration."

"Eh? What-?" Wakana never got to finish her question. Rihan put his hand on her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Wakana froze, unsure of whether she wanted to kiss back or slap him. Rihan pulled away before she could decide. Then he laughed out loud.

"Wh-wha-what's so funny?" Wakana shrieked.

"You taste like chocolate!" Rihan laughed. She not only _looked_ like chocolate, she _tasted_ like it too!

Wakana looked (and felt) stupefied. This guy, who she barely knew, kissed her. What was worse was the fact that she wasn't thinking about slapping him. She was thinking about the fact that he tasted like peppermint. Not to mention he smelled amazing as well.

She shook on the spot. Her head was feeling woozy. This was a dream, right? Things like this didn't happen in real life, right? RIGHT?

Rihan laughed at her expression before starting to run away. But he could still hear Wakana's distant screech.

"**PERVERT!"**

.

Kejorou's eyes popped out at the stupendous amount of ingredients placed in front of her. It far exceeded her taller-than-Rihan-list.

"I lost your list, so I bought everything," Rihan stated, chocolate bar in his mouth.

"Is that why you were late?" Kejorou asked faintly as she moved towards the shopping bag.

"Sort of," Rihan replied. He smirked as he remembered Wakana's flushed and furious face.

Something (and that something being his own twisted mind) told him that he would meet Wakana again. Despite the fact that he had barely spoken a few words to her, he felt quite intrigued by her.

He bit once more into the chocolate.

.

**A/N:** I might extend this if I get enough reviews. Who knows?


	2. Encounter 2: School

**A/N: **Thanks to some insistence, I've decided that this might fare well as a multi-chapter story and I've decided to update it. So chapter's up!

**Warning: **I have never, ever been outside my country, Bangladesh so I have no idea what life in Japan is like, so a lot of my information may be wrong. But hey, Jules Verne never went outside Paris either.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Nurarihyon no Mago.

.

"Nothing happened," Wakana lied. "I just came home just like you guys."

"'Ow com 'ee didn' see y'then?" Yuki asked her, mouth filled with (Wakana's) potato chips.

"M-My house is in the o-opposite direction of yours," Wakana pointed out, turning to brush her hair (and to hide her blushing, of course. Well-known fact: Wakana is _not_ a good liar)

"Huh. So you didn't help him?" Ai asked. Wakana shook her head. "And you didn't talk to him at all?" Wakana shook her head again.

"Liar," Ai stated matter-of-factly. So matter-of-factly in fact, that Wakana dropped her brush in surprise. She spun around, petrified.

"Eh?" she said, as beads of sweat rolled down the back of her head.

"Wakana, you are the worst liar that ever lived," Ai stated brusquely.

"Yeah, you should probably try and improve that particular skill of yours. It must be hard to keep secrets like that, y'know?" Yuki added. "You should learn to lie like…a lying liar…who lies," she finished (somewhat lamely, don't you agree?).

"Oh, fine! I went back to help him," Wakana admitted, unhappily.

"So you went back. And then?" Ai asked.

"I helped him out of the hole," Wakana said, sound pretty bitter.

"Was he cute?" Yuki interjected. Wakana blushed and spluttered.

"He was cute," Ai confirmed with a smirk. (And guess what? Wakana blushed some more).

"So, what'd you do next?" Ai asked conversationally.

"H…chi-me," Wakana mumbled.

"What?" her best friends asked in unison.

"He…ki…m," Wakana mumbled once more.

"WHAT?" her (slightly deaf in Wakana's opinion) best friends asked again.

"HE KISSED ME, ALRIGHT!" Wakana yelled.

There was a silence. A silence which lasted for about two seconds before her best friends exploded.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Wakana fumed. Flushing furiously, she turned her back towards her friends as they rolled around in her bed, laughing their guts out and cracking jokes about Wakana growing up and what not. Wakana chose to be civilized (with difficulty) and she simply brushed her hair defiantly.

They were treating it like a spectacle! Which it was not! Wakana had not wanted her first kiss to be stolen by a complete stranger! One who tasted like _peppermint_ for that matter. Well, technically not her first kiss. Just one that lasted over 6 seconds.

Wakana stopped brushing and her chocolate-y eyes widened. Oh, sweet Kami, she'd counted the seconds. And she remembered the taste!

"What's he taste like?" Ai (the possible mind reader) asked. Wakana could hear the traces of her smirk on her voice.

"Peppermint," Wakana admitted grudgingly.

"Well, that's good. Mint's one of the best flavors you could hope for in a boy. Worst is sushi, spinach, garlic, egg yolk…eughh…" Yuki trailed off (egg yolk?). Wakana wasn't really paying.

She didn't _care_ if Rihan tasted like mint (of course she did) She didn't care about Rihan at all! (Lies, lies, lies) Wakana never wanted to see Rihan ever again.

So naturally, it was inevitable that she meet him the very next day.

.

Rihan was out again and wearing jeans, much to the astonishment of his household. There was no youkai business, he wasn't being forced to buy the groceries and Rihan just wasn't the type to go wandering around among the humans for no tangible reason. So then why in the world was going out again?

(Shall I tell you why? But I suspect you already know) Rihan was looking for Wakana, and not having much success by the way. Of course he didn't have much to go on. So he simply roamed around the streets in hopes of meeting her.

And soon enough, he found himself at the site of their first meeting place. The hole was still in place. Was it ever gonna get filled? Who's going to fill it anyway? Rihan thought.

The troubling thing was- why was he exactly looking for her? Rihan wasn't exactly sure. She wasn't really his type but she…interested him. And not in the usual way either. He wanted…to get to know her. Weird really, he'd all but lost interest in getting to know females ever since Yamabuki left… not he had much interest before Yamabuki either.

Rihan wrenched himself from such utterly depressing thoughts and instead somehow managed to remember how much Wakana blushed. And then it hit him (not literally, of course). She was in school! Of course! She was still a high-school student. He could have slapped himself (don't worry, he didn't).

Come to think of it, she had a school uniform on when they met yesterday. All he had to do was find the school she attended. Perfect.

.

Wakana was humming tunelessly with Ai and Yuki at each side. Technically school had ended almost half an hour but Wakana, being the Good Samaritan that she is, had helped her teachers grade the papers. Ai and Yuki, being the good friends that they are, had waited up for her (and of course Wakana had put in a 'good word' for them with the teacher. Come on guys she's not _that _good).

So far Wakana was having a good day. She'd forgotten all about Rihan and her friends were wise enough not to mention it to her again. Her test papers had come back and she'd aced a perfect score. Oh, yes today's a good day…but not for long.

"Why are so many girls still out?" Ai asked, frowning. In Wakana's opinion, 'so many' was an understatement. The courtyard was filled with girls. School had ended half an hour ago, so why were they still here? Most of them seemed to crowd around the school gate.

"I dun no," Yuki answered. "Wanna go check it out?"

"Hell yeah!" Ai said. And Wakana once found herself alone with her best friend running away.

"Hey guys, wait up," Wakana huffed (another well-known fact: Wakana is not good at physical Ed.). When Wakana finally (finally) caught up, Ai and Yuki had pushed through the crowd to the centre of all attention.

"What are you guys looking at?" Wakana huffed as she pushed past all the squealing girls who didn't really want to be pushed aside. Wakana pushed her way to Yuki and Ai who were standing completely still; eyes wide with their mouths hanging open.

Wakana followed their gaze and felt her own drop (and of course her heart beat increased and her face started coloring up). Because there, _right there!_-leaning against the gate as though he owned the whole place- was Rihan.

"Why, hello Wakana-chan!" Rihan greeted her oh-so-casually like they were the best of friends. Oh sweet Kami, he'd followed her to school.

"Eh? Wakana-chan?" peals of laughter echoed behind he. And Wakana, mortified, turned her head slightly to find her best friends laughing their guts out, rolling on the floor. And everyone behind them was following suit.

Wakana turned her head again and saw that the ones closest to him were flustered beyond belief and some of them were actually swooning. Well, Wakana supposed she could see their point. Rihan was…a little attractive (just a little?) but aside from that, he's a complete jackass!

Choosing to ignore the laughter behind her, Wakana faced Rihan again with her face on fire.

"O-ohayo go-gozaima-masu R-Rihan-san," Wakana stammered with difficulty.

"Wakana-chan," Rihan whined. "Don't you think 'Rihan-san' is a bit too formal?"

"Oh, is this the student you were waiting for, Nura-san?" a voice asked. Wakana's eyes bulged. The principal-she couldn't believe it! He'd charmed the frigging principal! Wakana swallowed hard.

"We should be formal," Wakana stated to Rihan. "I barely know you."

"Barely know me?" Rihan said with mock disbelief. "But Wakana-chan, I'm sure you didn't think so yesterday, when we met. And you called me-"

"SHUT UP!" Wakana screeched. She could hear the giggles behind her. How will she ever come back?

"And then, of course, we kissed," Rihan said undeterred. Wakana gaped (bad move).

"Like this," he said. And suddenly Rihan was too close and his lips were pressed against hers. When Rihan removed himself, the once silent courtyard exploded with cheers, laughter and jealous laments but Wakana didn't hear any of this.

Because Wakana had done the one sensible any girl in her situation could do.

She fainted.

.

"Wakana-chan! Wakey, Wakey!"

Wakana opened her eyes and saw that the courtyard was gone; she was in the nurse's office and Yuki's face was hovering above her own. Wakana wanted to believe that the whole thing never happened but she was much too sensible for that.

"Welcome to the world of the living Wakana-cha-AAAAAHHH," Yuki choked as Wakana grabbed her by the collar.

"Where is _he_?" Wakana seethed. "Tell me where he is!** I'll** **castrate him with a rusty spoon!**"

"Come on, Wakana-chan," Yuki winked. "We all know _that_ would be a wast-" Wakana grip on her collar tightened seriously. "I mean he deserves to die in the most painful way possible," Yuki choked out.

"Come on, Wakana," Ai said from her place at the chair. "He's not that bd. He even carried you here. He was pretty…charming."

Wakana gaped. He'd gotten to _Ai_. The cynical, skeptical, suspicious, _hates all things male_ Ai!

Rihan wasn't human (well, she's half-way there).

.

**A/N:** Well, hope you enjoyed it! I certainly enjoyed writing it! Reviews are much appreciated!


	3. Encounter 3: Shopping,Carrots,Chocolate

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews you guys! Hope you enjoy chapter 3!

**Warning: **I have never, ever been outside my country, Bangladesh so I have no idea what life in Japan is like, so a lot of my information may be wrong. But hey, Jules Verne never went outside Paris either.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Nurarihyon no Mago.

.

Wakana was having a bad week. In fact, it was the worst week of her life yet. She was, for the first time in her life, being ridiculed. And she hated every minute of it.

Everywhere she went, there were people staring at her and giggling at her and pointing at her and laughing at her and gossiping about her…well you get the point. She was becoming obsessed. And it wasn't about the gossip. It was about _him._

She couldn't forget him! She was becoming completely and utterly paranoid. And even though he hadn't shown his (gorgeous) face for nearly six days; she still couldn't go anywhere without thinking that he was following her. He was even showing up in her dreams! (Not in _that_ way you perverts!)

Yep, her perfect life was now officially screwed up thanks to a certain perverted, stupid, and brainless (not to mention, of course, attractive, stunning and totally _hot_) stranger. Fantastic.

"They're all _staring_ at meeee…" Wakana whispered. She was currently curled up in a fetal position on the bathroom floor, rocking back and forth.

"Don't be absurd, Wakana," Ai said brusquely. "They're not doing anything like that."

"They're all staring at me. They're all staring at me. They're all staring at me …" Wakana started to chant like a mantra*(if it _was_ a mantra, it's a pretty bad one).

"Wakana, snap out of it!" Ai huffed, grabbing Wakana by the shoulders. "So what if you were publicly embarrassed in front of the whole school? What if the humiliation is so bad that you're in danger of never being able to go out again? And what if everyone's gossiping about you? (Is there supposed to be a bright side to this?) That could happen to anyone! Stop being so whiny and show those gossip bastards whose boss!"

"Yeah, Wakana-chan," Yuki added while fixing her lipstick. "It's not like the student body has nothing better to do than gossip about you (they don't actually). And get off the bathroom floor. It's unhygienic."

"But they're staring at meeee!" Wakana moaned (zombie-like).

There was a giggle from the bathroom door. All three of them turned to see a freshman sniggering and well…_staring_ at Wakana.

"Oi, get out of here, you!" Yuki yelled at the freshman and (with a throw that would make any baseball-loving dad proud) flung the lipstick at her. The lipstick hit her squarely in the forehead. The poor freshman screeched and ran out the door, sobbing.

"Yeah, good luck getting that out!" Yuki yelled after her. "It's guaranteed to stay on for 8 hours," she added proudly to her friends (who the crap wears lipstick for 8 straight hours?).

"That was so mean, Yuki," Wakana sounded a bit dazed. "And besides, we're not allowed to wear such a heavily colored lipstick."

Ai rolled her eyes. "You're too nice, Wakana."

.

Wakana hummed on endlessly. It had been 10 days since she last met Rihan (keeping count, Wakana?) and even though she wasn't making the mistake of forgetting about him again, she couldn't help but feel a bit complacent. So here she was, strolling down the vegetable aisle at the market, buying groceries for her mother, feeling relatively happy.

It wouldn't last.

"Wakana?"

Wakana spun around and her brown eyes met the golden-amber ones that seemed so familiar. She blinked a few times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Her eyes traveled over his attire. He wasn't wearing jeans or anything like that. This time he was wearing a green and black striped kimono.

But there was no denying it. This was Rihan.

Crap.

.

Believe it or not, Rihan wasn't really looking for Wakana (I know what you're thinking but its true!). He just happened to be there…He was, for lack of a better term…escaping from the clutches of his duties and Kubinashi. And also shoplifting using his 'fear'.

He honestly wasn't looking for Wakana but hey, when life gives you lemons… (I say you squeeze them) The lazy smile made its way onto his face.

"Well, what a coincidence," he grinned. Wakana seemed to have snapped out of her shocked reverie.

" _You_," she seethed with so much venom that Rihan couldn't help but think:

_If she were youkai, she'd have some serious 'fear'. Even if her only weapon is currently a carrot. _

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded, fuming. She was so adorable! Like a kitten who thinks she's a tiger.

"I was under the impression that I'm Nura Rihan but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong," Rihan replied genially. Wakana flushed scarlet, and Rihan grinned.

"You are so infuriating!" she whispered furiously (after all there are people here). "Do you have any idea of the trouble you've caused me? I have never been more embarrassed in my life, Rihan!"

Rihan gave her a look that made her think that maybe he was sorry…until the next words left his lips.

"Awww, you called me Rihan! See, we are getting closer!"

Wakana swiftly face-palmed. He completely missed the point! He was focusing on the iddy-biddy-est detail and completely ignoring the big picture! It was irritating her beyond belief! (Can you blame her?)

"If I ever see you again-ever- I swear I'll-I'll…" Wakana stuttered.

"Viciously murder me using a carrot?" Rihan suggested helpfully. Wakana however did not blush this time. Instead this time she tensed up…and promptly stabbed him in the forehead with said carrot (did you know that if you eat too many carrots, eventually you'll turn orange?)

Now Nura Rihan, the Nidaime of the Nura clan, the son of the great Nurarihyon and the one who brought the Nura clan to its 'golden age'…completely failed to anticipate the carrot-attack. As a result, he was now rubbing the sore spot on his forehead (a carrot _is _pretty hard).

"Ow, you're so mean…" he mumbled as he trailed after her. She completely ignored him. He followed her (stalker that he is) as she shifted through the aisles and finally landed on the dairy section. And he stared as she piled more than half the chocolate bars onto her cart.

"Are you sure that's healthy?" (It's not but it sure is delicious) Rihan asked, dubiously.

"Nobody asked you," Wakana replied rudely, then immediately back-tracked. "Gomen-nasai! I'm sure you meant well…as 'well' as _you_ can mean anyway, but it's fine. I always eat like this."

Rihan was amused. He supposed she was too polite to actually be rude to anyone after her anger wears off. Which meant that she wasn't angry anymore. Sweet!

"You know I hate chocolate?" Rihan (lies) started conversationally to purposely annoy her (because she obviously loves the stuff).

Wakana dropped whatever she was doing to stare at Rihan. "What?"

"I hate it. It's icky, sticky and way too thick! It sticks to you gums…" Rihan trailed off and his amusement grew just as much as the look of horror on Wakana's face.

"I was right," she confirmed, solemnly. "You're not human." (Of course he's not)

"Eh? W-what?" Rihan panicked. How did she know that? How did she find out?

"Nothing human could ever hate chocolate," she clarified, and Rihan relaxed. She'd meant it figuratively (of course she meant it figuratively, dumbass).

"That's so mean, Wakana-chan!" Rihan whined. "Are you suggesting that I'm not human?"

Wakana sighed and chose (once more) to be the adult. "Just what exactly do you with me?" she asked.

"I just want to spend some time with you," Rihan said oh-so-innocently, giving her his best 'puppy-eyes' (poor Wakana never stood a chance against those eyes). "Is that a crime?"

"If I spend time with you today, will you promise to leave me alone?" Wakana negotiated.

"Maybe," Rihan grinned like a Cheshire-cat. Wakana looked into his soft golden eyes and felt her cheeks warming without her permission (because those unfaithful blushes never do take your permission) and before she knew it she'd consented (unfair, Rihan).

"F-fine," Wakana stuttered and 9while trying to keep her heartbeat steady) grabbed Rihan's kimono sleeve and tugged.

"Where are we going?" Rihan asked.

"Shopping."

.

"Why do women shop so much?"

Rihan was currently carrying about a dozen shopping bags on each arm, walking side-by-side with Wakana who was slurping (chocolate) ice-cream. The only bag she was carrying was filled with (yep, you guessed it) chocolate. As for what she had bought…What hadn't she bought?

"I suppose you could say it's our way of payback on the male species," Wakana slurped happily.

"Huh." Payback was right. Wakana had completely robbed him of his money. Not that he usually had a lot of money on him (Kubinashi didn't trust him with it) but Wakana had left him completely penniless. Well, Rihan supposed he'd asked for it. Rihan also noted something else: Wakana was infinitely happier when chocolate was around. Tip for the future.

Rihan suddenly noticed that Wakana was staring at him. "What?"

"You know you're wearing way different clothes than the first times we met."

"So?" he shrugged. "Don't they suit me?"

"They do," she complimented carelessly (way too carelessly and way too comfily to a guy she's supposed to hate). "You look even better in them." She realized her mistake too late, and flushed furiously.

"_Even_ better?" Oh Kami, she could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice. "As in I looked-" She kept her blushing face down and punched him on the arm.

"U-urusai! Baka!" she stumbled. This time she didn't bother to apologize. Maybe she figured that Rihan didn't deserve it. They passed a few moments in a semi-awkward silence (awkward for Wakana, ego-inflating for Rihan) before they reached the end of the street.

"O-okay, this is my house," Wakana said. "You can put those down, right here. I'll drag them in."

Rihan took his time emptying himself of the bags (after all, how could he leave without stealing a kiss?) while Wakana reached into her bag and pulled something out.

"What's that?" Rihan asked, semi-curious.

"This?" Wakana spoke up. "This…is a Klondike bar." She spoke so reverently, like a priest during prayer. Rihan briefly wondered if she actually prayed to chocolate before dismissing the idea as ridiculous (is it really?)

"A Klondike bar?"

"A Klondike bar," Wakana confirmed. Rihan could almost see the stars dancing in her eyes and bit back a laugh. "Oh what I wouldn't do for a Klondike bar…" Wakana said dreamily.

"Is that so?" Rihan mocked. And suddenly that small, heavenly package wasn't in her hand anymore.

"Rihan!" she shrieked, before hissing. "Give that back to me!"

"Aah, but what are you willing to do for it?" Rihan teased. Wakana hissing and in all her tiger-kitten fury launched herself onto him. Of course she didn't have a hope of getting it. After all, Wakana just reached his shoulder and Rihan was holding the bar high above her head.

Wakana was too angry to realize that she was practically hugging her sworn enemy, hopping up and down to get a hold of that bar. Rihan noticed, of course, but didn't say anything. If he did something at all, it was bringing her closer. Somehow, he quite enjoyed the feel of her warm body against his.

Wakana didn't notice. All she had eyes for was her precious Klondike bar. She nearly had tears in her eyes. Rihan, seeing this, laughed and brought the bar back into her hand. Glaring Wakana took it, unwrapped it, took a huge bite and made to move away but, hey, it's not like Rihan was going to let her.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers Wakana froze completely, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Rihan broke the kiss and grinned lopsidedly.

"You're right! I'd do anything for a Klondike bar!" And laughing at the look of sheer incredulity on her face, Rihan took his leave (by literally vanishing though not in front of her eyes).

Wakana stood there for some time (Klondike bar forgotten) before slowly raising up her fingers to brush up against her lips. She could barely believe that this whole incident had gone unnoticed by the neighborhood.

She pressed her finger against her lips. She could almost still feel the soft pressure of Rihan's lips against hers. And just like that she felt disgusted! (Are we sure that disgusted is the word we're looking for?) That was the third time in their third meeting! She'd have to be more careful next time.

While dragging the bags inside her house, she stopped to think: why _should_ there be a next time? (Isn't it obvious?)

Then, she realized why there _would_ be a next time…

She'd just shown the crazy-stalker-boy where he home was…

(Smart Move!)

.

**A/N:** Dun Dun Dun… To be honest, I'm not all that pleased with how this chapter turned out…But if you can, leave a review!

*Mantra- You guys should know this but I felt like adding it anyway. A mantra is a hymn or a chant meant to help ward off evil spirits.


	4. Encounter 4: High Heels

**AN: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this story to favorites. And thanks for being patient (oh, how I hate school…)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Nurarihyon no Mago.

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Wakana stared, appalled. She wasn't the only one. Every single person in her class was staring at the purple _thing_ on their teacher's head. This was it. Hawatori-sensei had officially gone mad.

Nobody-not one single person-was concentrating on their History lesson. Wakana saw a flash go off through the corner of her eye and saw a fellow student typing furiously on his cell-phone, obviously uploading the terrifying image on facebook (because there's nothing else to do on facebook-other than the games).

Wakana felt something being pushed into her hand. She blinked before taking the note (really? Notes? It's the age of the text messages!).

_Told you that thing wasn't real!-Ai_

Wakana rolled her eyes and wrote back (again, texting). _'Stop talking about it and concentrate on your lesson!'_ (Typical)

This was the reply- _'Hypocrite! You can't keep your eyes of off it!'_

The 'it/thing' in question was Hawatori-sensei's gigantic afro and walrus moustache which was now colored a bright, vivid, intense dazzling purple of all colors. And it every time he moved, it sort of waved from side to side.

Wakana tore her eyes from the painfully bright picture and tried to concentrate on her work (keyword: tried).

Another piece of paper made its way over to her hand. Wakana dropped her pencil and discreetly opened it.

_How's it going with the crazy-stalker-boy?-Yuki_

Wakana took the piece of paper, tore it up into itty-bitty bits and then stomped on them. Soon, enough, her friends sent her another paper.

_That bad, huh?_

.

One strange meeting was okay. Two strange meetings were probably coincidence (or the work of a stalker). By the third, Wakana took it for granted that she would meet Rihan again.

And she did.

Wakana stumbled through the station, clutching mountains of books to her chest. She'd just finished a tutoring session with Ai's brother and the bane of her existence: Kazuma. For some strange reason, her father seemed eager for her to spend time with Kazuma which was odd because her father didn't like her spending time with any guy (oh, Wakana, you naïve, naïve girl…)

Her father had even bothered to arrange tutoring sessions (*cough*fix-up*cough*) Wakana didn't mind, even though he was a little crazy (about studies in particular) but hey, who isn't?

Anyway…Wakana was getting pretty tired. Her shoulders, arms, and legs were all aching and she was barely even half-way home. She'd be grounded if she was late. What's more, she was wearing stiletto-heels (courtesy of Ai and the cruelty of fashion) and Wakana always was more of flip-flops girl. In fact she'd never really worn heels in her life.

So naturally, she missed the life-lesson most fashionistas learn at an early age: Never ever run on unstable heels (seriously kids, don't try it anywhere).

Wakana wasn't sure how it happened. It was almost sun-down and not many were out in the neighborhood. One minute she was taking a step when her feet wobbled…and the next minute there was a sharp pain in her ankle and she fell down, her books spilling everywhere. She hissed in pain before trying to turn and discern the damage when she heard-

"Are you alright?"

_-Oh, Hell no_

Her head snapped up so fast, she almost got whiplash.

Of the thousands of people in Tokyo, in Japan; of the millions in Asia; the six _freaking _billion in the world! Of all the possible aliens and creatures in the entire goddamn universe (admit it: aliens exist)-it just had to be him!

The universe must hate her… (The universe is doing this for your own good!)

.

Rihan watched as Wakana turned her head to look at him. She had an unreadable expression on her face. She wasn't hissing, spitting, shrieking or otherwise threatening to maim him. That worried him.

"Oi? Are you alright?" he asked again, kneeling down to her level…and found himself face-to-face with the nozzle of a pepper spray.

"Stay away from me you freak!"

_Eh?_ Rihan felt beads of sweat break out on his forehead. He was completely unsure of what to do. What he _was_ sure of was that he really, really, really didn't want pepper spray to end up in his eyes. After all, he had some pretty beautiful eyes if he said so himself (we say so too).

Rihan was wondering if it would be best simply to turn around and leave her to her own devices (of course not) when he noticed that her ankle was swollen and facing a direction that had to be painful. She'd broken her ankle… (Duh)

Rihan, therefore, ignored the pepper spray and leaned a bit to examine the aforementioned ankle when he felt her elbow stab his chest. "Owww!" he landed on his butt.

"Stay AWAY from me," Wakana said again, looking dangerously delirious.

_Yep, she'd definitely make a good youkai…_ Rihan couldn't help but think again.

"Oww…What's wrong with you?" Rihan whined.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Wakana screeched, before flinching. "Leave me alone."

"Wakana-chan…People are going to start staring at us…" Rihan spoke in a chastising tone. Wakana looked away briefly before blushing (why is this neighborhood deserted).

Ignoring Wakana's glares, he leaned down again and made to touch it (one touch would heal it all) but Wakana interfered-

"Don't touch it!" She winced, almost crying.

"Jeez, I'm just trying to help you," Rihan huffed. "Stop being so difficult!"

"I don't need your help! I'll call an ambulance!"

"Oh, yeah? With what?" Rihan pointed his finger to a side where lay the mangled remains of a once-workable cell-phone. Wakana glanced helplessly at the knowing, mischievous amber eyes.

_-Oh, Shit._

.

**A/N:** *_Bang*Bang*Bang*bang*bang*…*continues to bang head on the table*_

I'm a frequent sufferer from writer's block but it seemed to stop for a while… and now…my perfectly planned out and well-thought out plan is GONE! I sit down and try to write something and I can't. You don't know how many accounts I've had to abandon because of discontinued stories and angry reviewers…*_shudder_*

Reviews are appreciated, ideas even more so…


	5. Encounter 4&5: Oddities

**A/N:** If you've been waiting for this chapter: SORRY! I was involved in a sort of accident… I know the new chapters basically nullify this story but hey, it is _fan-_fiction. XD

**To the Anonymous Reviewers:** I see your point but I'm only writing this story for fun. The whole parenthesis thing is actually a joke between my friends and me. We saw a style like that in and started experimenting on it for fun. If I get bored or more people start insisting, I'll stop. But, for your comfort, I'll use less in this chapter.

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Wakana slowly got up from the porch and walked to her kitchen wistfully. There, she opened the refrigerator door and took out a bottle of her mother's home-made apple juice. She sipped it slowly and walked up the stairs in a daze. It wasn't until she sat down on her bed that she realized that something was terribly wrong.

Wakana blinked rapidly as the realization hit her. She slowly unwrapped the white cloth tied securely around her foot. And then she stared at her foot. She rotated it left and right and then stared some more. It looked like any other normal foot should. And that was exactly what was worrying her.

Because Wakana was sure (absolutely, positively SURE!) that she had broken her ankle! Or at the very least, twisted it badly! But here it was, completely restored and healed.

It made no sense! Wakana remembered the swollen ankle. She remembered the purple color of the poor swollen ankle and she remembered the pain…She remembered the warmth of certain someone's body as he supported her own…

_No!_ Wakana slammed her flaming face onto her palm. _No, no, no, no, NO! Stop thinking about embarrassing stuff like that!_ Wakana chastised herself.

_Forget about that!_ Wakana took a deep breath.

_Okay, think Wakana, think…Recap time. What exactly happened up until now?_

.

"Would you cut it out?" Rihan asked as Wakana fidgeted for the billionth time. This was getting extremely frustrating. Here he was, being a gentleman (major eye-rolling moment here) and trying to help Wakana but she was making it pretty difficult!

"I'm trying to help you out here!" Rihan huffed.

"I'm sorry! This is just making me uncomfortable!" Wakana said, her voice taking on a banshee-like pitch. She was wriggling around like a snake every few moments; largely due to the fact that the stalker-boy's arm was currently around her waist. Not to mention the unusual thumping of her heart.

Just how had she ended up in this position? Wakana wasn't exactly sure. At the time, she couldn't think of any alternatives than letting him help her but now…she could think of hundreds of alternatives. Geez, why is it that your brain responds ages later, after you've already embarrassed yourself? (One of the great mysteries of life)

"Just let me sit down for awhile," Wakana told the stalker-boy, who slowly lowered her onto the pavement. Wakana winced and tried to position her foot less painfully but failed. The said stalker-boy plopped down beside her.

Wakana (and him) and stared at the slowly reddening sky. She liked sunsets. It reminded her of a day well spent and a good preparation for the next one. Of course, she wouldn't call this day well-spent and the preparation for the next one wasn't going to be all that grand if her father grounded her… but still…

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" she commented absentmindedly and turned to face Rihan. What she didn't expect was to be staring right into his golden-amber eyes. And, for the second time since she'd met him, Wakana felt herself lost in them.

He was staring at her. Intently. And that made her uncomfortable beyond words. She felt her untrustworthy face heat up (for about the hundredth time that day) and her stupid heart started beating faster for no apparent reason!

"W-what?" she asked uncertainly, her voice wavering.

Rihan seemed to snap out of a trance at the sound of her voice. "Nothing," he replied softly. "Absolutely nothing."

Wakana wasn't so sure that it was nothing. Rihan seemed a bit sad, or at least his mind was on a gloomy La-La-Land that's for sure. But Wakana wasn't the prying, nosy type. If Rihan didn't want to say, she wasn't going to force him to.

"Say, why's it so important for you to get home before sunset?" Rihan asked.

"Well, my dad gets home at sunset," Wakana said. Wakana didn't say it but Rihan could almost hear the 'duh' hanging at the end of the sentence.

"Exactly at sunset?"

"Exactly at sunset."

"Every day?"

"Mostly but today is our day. We always hang out together on Friday nights. We do something he likes to do. It's usually fun; sometimes weird. It doesn't matter on most days-not that I ever stay out that late-it's just that today's our day! " Wakana flailed her hands in an exaggerated manner.

"And your father is…" Rihan let the sentence hang.

"A librarian," Wakana supplied. "Otou-san is very punctual. He has the beliefs that if I finish school on time, spend time around my friends and go to the mall, I should be back by sunset. He did the math. He just does it to minimize the contact with "the wrong sort of guys," she said.

"Most girls are usually home way before sunset y'know? Creepy-crawlies lurk after dark."

"I know! I know! I just ran a little late!" Wakana huffed crossly. "And what do you mean by 'creepy-crawlies'?" Rihan didn't answer.

"Huh," Rihan mused and, taking advantage of her sudden talkativeness, asked her again. "Riddle me this, does your dad ever plan on seeing you married?"

"Yes, he does," Wakana laughed suddenly. "Just to a good guy, that's all. All his rules are basically useless now that I've met you."

It took Rihan a minute to realize the snub. "Ouch! Wakana-chan is so mean!" Rihan whined, then changed track. "So all you have to do is get home by the next fifteen minutes?"

Wakana nodded.

"Simple enough," Rihan grinned. Wakana didn't like that grin. She didn't like it at all. And her ominous feelings were proven true when in the nest second, the stalker-boy picked her up…bridal-style!

"What are you doing?"Wakana hissed, panicking. "Put me down this instant! People are going to stare! I'll be humiliated for life!"

Rihan couldn't help but laugh. Could she get any cuter? As if people ever noticed him! Of course, she didn't know about his little secret. He had to be careful though, she sounded close to tears. "Hey, you said you need to get home before sunset and I'm going to get you home before sunset. And don't worry, no one will notice us! Promise!"

Wakana would have argued some more but at that moment Rihan started to move and Wakana wrapped her arms around his neck out of instinct to keep her balance. And right then, she inhaled a whiff of the oddest and most delicious scent ever…coming from him.

Disoriented, Wakana inhaled again, unconsciously trying to identify the different fragrances. It didn't smell like perfume. Did men wear perfume? He smelled like cherries…and vanilla…and a zesty something she couldn't recognize at all… (After all Wakana has never smelt alcohol, has she?)

"We're here," the soft voice woke her up from her stupor and she blushed wildly. Rihan's chuckle meant that he'd seen her. How embarrassing!

"T-thanks," she whispered, disconcerted. Rihan lowered her gently onto her porch. Wakana exhaled suddenly and grimaced as she tried to position her foot once more. This time she failed to keep her pain secret. "Owww…" she groaned out.

Before she knew it, her personal tail was kneeling before her and taking the white cloth off his shoulder. Wakana made to remove her injured ankle from his grip but he gave her the look-you know the looks a doctor gives you when you fidget during an examination.

"Stop twitching," he said in a commanding sort of voice which stunned poor Wakana (she'd only heard the whiny side of him before).

Taking advantage of her moment of frozenness, Rihan wrapped the white cloth around her ankle securely. While doing so she brushed his finger against her foot and Wakana shivered for some strange reason and then blushed. Rihan noticed.

"There you go," he spoke at last and looked up at her. And just like that Wakana's face grew hotter and her heart started on the race-car rhythm it seemed to enjoy so much as she looked into Rihan's eyes. She couldn't speak much but she realized that his face was slowly going closer to hers and that she was probably going to be kissed again. But kissing Rihan didn't seem like such a bad idea…

Fortunately (or unfortunately) Wakana came to her senses.

"THANKS A LOT!" she said in a high-pitched and much too loud voice. In fact, Rihan swore he heard something go pop inside his left ear. He froze for a moment and then chuckle softly.

"You're welcome," he replied in the same soft voice.

There was an awkward pause before Wakana spoke again. "My parents will be home soon, so you should probably be going…"

"Yeah," Rihan replied as he got up. "See you around?"

"Sure," Wakana agreed without thinking and looked down at her ankle for a moment and when she looked up, Rihan was gone.

.

Wakana slammed her face onto her palm leaving a large red mark on her forehead. She couldn't believe it! She'd almost kissed him! _Kissed him! Willingly! _ And forgotten all about it in a matter of minutes! She wanted to scream right then and there but a voice cut through her thoughts.

"Wakana!" a voice called.

"Up here 'Tou-san," she called out and immediately crossed her fingers. She though with all her might-_Not the bowling alley, not the bowling alley, not the bowling alley…_

"Come on down, sweetie! We're watching Sharktopus!"

_Yesss!Victory!_

"I'll be right down!" Wakana said.

All through the mind-numbing (not in the good sense) film, Wakana couldn't help but think one thing. All Rihan had done was wrap her ankle. So how in the world did it heal?

.

Rihan sat in the famous sakura tree, with one leg dangling from the branches. Rihan had an off day. A very confusing off day. Sure, he liked Wakana and he followed her around and he'd kissed her a couple of times but he was just messing around. Today was not messing around.

Rihan was not a stranger to the annoying emotion called love. He had fallen once-fallen hard-and it had bitten him in the ass but it looked as though he was about to fall again. Rihan wouldn't exactly say he was in love with her now…but he was getting there. And no doubt falling in love with her would be easy. Just like falling in real life.

_Maybe that's not the best comparison, _Rihan thought. _After all, every fall has an impact…possibly bone-breaking ones._

So here on out Rihan had two options.

Option a) Stop following Wakana around, never meet her again and forget all about her OR

Option b) Follow Wakana even more, pursue her and make her his wife.

_Decisions…decisions…_

Rihan wondered if the youkai household would be upset if he brought home a human too. Rihan grinned. _Nah…They're too desperate for an heir as it is…I could marry anybody and they'd agree_.

"There you are!" Rihan turned to the direction of the voice through force of habit, through he already knew who was talking.

Kubinashi, in stark contrast to Rihan's day-dreamy state, had spent a day in sharp reality. The poor guy had searched nook and cranny for his boss only to return home and find out that said boss was (apparently) home the whole time.

Kubinashi was about to go into one of his famous lectures but then he noticed Rihan's absent-minded state. As in more absent-minded than usual. Rihan barely seemed to acknowledge his presence.

"Rihan…sama?" Kubinashi asked uncertainly. Where was the grinnig? Where was the joking around and making lame excuses?

"Hmmm?" Rihan turned to look at him. "Kubinashi, I've been thinking…"

_What a shocker!_ "About what?" Kubinashi asked cautiously.

"About the future of this clan," Rihan said simply. _Option b it is._

Kubinashi, who had no idea of Rihan's train of thought, brightened instantly. _Finally, finally! At last the man was thinking about his duties! There is a God!_

"Well, it's about time you started worrying…" Kubinashi turned around and chattered away happily. Unbeknownst to him, Rihan was already gone.

.

"RIIIHHHAAANNN!"

Kejorou shivered slightly in the kitchen and wondered if the String Assassin was about to make a reappearance.

.

In the ludicrous slash-fest that was Sharktopus, Wakana temporarily forgot about Rihan and concentrated on matching her father's enthusiasm. At the end of the film, Wakana was wishing for the bowling alley. Wakana finished Sharktopus and her dinner and then headed off to her room, hoping to flop down on her bed for a good night's sleep. Trouble was, there was already somebody there.

"KYAAAAHHHHHH!"

_That- that-that…jerk! He snuck into my room! How dare he! That idiot! Jackass! _

Rihan was making frantic shushing noises but Wakana wasn't listening. She felt as though her brain had burst a billion of its cells. She simply stood there, mouth open, gaping like an idiot. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice did she move.

"Wakana? Are you all right?" her mother called.

Oh, no! Wakana whirled around petrified as her door knob turned. This was it. She was going to die.

Wakana's mother opened the door and glanced briefly around her room. Wakana pleaded with the heavens and waited for the verdict, the end of her life to come…but it never came.

"Oh, Wakana, don't tell me you screamed because of a cockroach," her mother said reproachfully.

"A-a-what?" Wakana looked at her mother helplessly. Had her mother gone crazy? Since when did Rihan look like a cockroach?

Wakana turned around and stared at her room. There was no Rihan in sight. Wakana's mouth dropped. People don't just disappear into thin air!

"Wakana?" her mother asked, concerned.

"U-umm…y-yeah," she turned back to her mother. "It-it was just a c-cockroach. I'm sorry for worrying you, Okaa-san."

"It's alright, sweetie," her mother smiled. "Honey, you can put the gun down now! There's no one in her room." Wakana's mother called down the stairs to her dad while she walked down.

Wakana sweat-dropped. She didn't know that her father owned a gun. At that moment, she realized that her stalker was still missing. Wakana looked around again to sure and then proceeded to check under her bed along with the inside of her closet but to no avail.

As a last resort, to make sure that she wasn't the one going crazy, Wakana opened the window and tentatively called out, "Rihan?"

The response came from behind her.

"Boo!"

"Oh!" Wakana gasped of fright and accidently jumped back-right into the arms of her stalker. Rihan's arms wrapped around her waist too tightly, making her uncomfortable, and she grabbed onto his arms when suddenly the feeling from the porch came back.

Her heart started on its erratic pace and all of a sudden there were butterflies-no snakes in her stomach. She started breathing hard and wondered if this was what they called hyperventilating. Her mind was all fuzzed up.

He was warm though, she noted. A jerk, granted but warm and strong and he had that luscious fragrance coming off of him. Wakana wasn't sure why but slowly her anger started to dissipate in wake of her confusion. And that made her close to tears.

"Wakana?" Rihan asked in that same soft voice from before. Just like that Wakana came to her senses.

"You jerk!" she cried and grabbed his kimono.

"What are you-?" Rihan never got to finish his sentence. With the grace and skill of Bruce Lee, Wakana threw him out her window! Wait, what? That's right! She threw the jackass out her window.

Rihan might have yelled or shouted or done something similar but Wakana was too busy fuming to care. After a few moments, Wakana realized that she just _threw a man_ out her window! In the next few moments (after an awesome victory dance) Wakana realized that said man could be hurting very much right now.

She gasped loudly as she realized that she might have broken his bones and rushed to the window. However she couldn't see anything. His black and green stripes were sure to stick out…right?

"Rihan?" she called quietly in an anxious voice but she received no answer. Soon, she realized that Rihan was probably gone.

Wakana slumped down on her bed and sighed. All in all, definitely not one of her better days. Wakana frowned as conclusion came into her mind. Even though Wakana didn't have contact with many boys, Wakana was sure they most of them couldn't magically heal injuries or mysteriously disappear into thin air. There was definitely something odd with Nura Rihan and she was going to find out what.

And for the first time since she'd met him, Wakana was actually looking forward to her next encounter with Rihan.

.

"Damn it, Tomoe, there's a boy involved and I know it!" Tomoe heard her husband yell hotly.

"You're being ridiculous, honey," Tomoe said smoothly as she washed the dishes. "I told you, she got frightened by a cockroach."

"Girls don't make that sound when they see cockroaches! They make it when they do things with their boyfriends!" her husband insisted with passion.

Tomoe merely hummed while she gazed out the kitchen window to look at the boy that fell from her daughter's window. He was getting to his feet and brushing the dirt off his kimono. He chuckled slightly, gazing upwards-possibly towards Wakana's window- and then started to walk off.

"Tomoe?"

"Yes?" her attention was once again reclaimed by her husband. "I told you, there is no boyfriend."

Tomoe patiently listened as her husband started grumbling again.

_Well…At least he's handsome…_

.

Well? I'm not sure if Rihan would be so reckless in front of humans but something tells me he would.

And before you ask, no, Wakana's mom did not see Rihan in her room but she did see him fall. The poor dad XD. So close yet so wide off the mark! I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review!


	6. Encounter 6: Chocolate Bunnies

**A/N:** Well, sorry for the delay!

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"Wakana? Wakana! WAKANA!"

"Hmm?" Wakana blinked out of her stupor to gaze at her two best friends-Ai and Yuki.

"Are you feeling all right?" Yuki asked, a worried tone seeping into her voice which confused Wakana. Of course she was all right. Why wouldn't she be?

"I'm fine," she told them.

"Wakana…we've been thinking," Ai started. "We think you should report Rihan to the police."

Wakana blinked. Once. Twice. Then the words registered in her brain. "You want me to do what?"

"Come on, Wakana!" Ai replied impatiently. "I thought it was cute (rather _he_ was cute), but it's getting out of hand! I mean, the guy followed you home! That's not normal! It's creepy and he's a stalker. Report him."

Wakana opened her mouth but no words came out. Ai was right in a way. Rihan was most probably mentally disturbed. Perhaps he had some issues with his love-life or abandonment or just generally got off on following strangers or something of the sort. Wakana knew there was something unhealthy about her "relationship" with but she just couldn't…She also had the sneaky suspicion that the police would never be able to catch Rihan.

"It's complicated," Wakana excused herself lamely.

Ai's eyes widened considerably. "Complicated?! There's nothing complicated about it! He's a stalker. Do you know what stalkers do? They are dangerous! He is dangerous Wakana and if-"

"He's not dangerous!" Wakana burst out indignantly (a little louder than she'd intended). The students in the row in front of her turned their heads to stare at her. Even Afro-sensei (said afro being neon green today) stopped reading his notes to stare at her for a moment.

Wakana blushed and kept her head down till everyone went back to their business. She hadn't meant to say it. But it was true (wasn't it?). She just couldn't feel that someone as... (Sweet? Kind? Attractive?)… ridiculous (that's the appropriate word, huh?) as Rihan could be dangerous.

Despite this assurance, however, Wakana couldn't bring herself to look her friends in the eye until Yuki softly spoke up.

"Wakana…you don't have…feelings for him, do you?"

Wakana's head snapped up and her flushed and horrified gaze met up with the serious gaze of her best friends.

"No-no-no! O-of course n-not! Ho-how could you even th-think s-s-something like that!" she hissed furiously as she met with Ai's unimpressed stare.

"You always were a terrible liar, Wakana."

~/ *** \~

Wakana lay back in her room and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stickers on her ceiling. What exactly did 'have feelings for' mean? She liked Rihan well enough she supposed. Wasn't that a feeling? Did it count? Somehow Wakana knew that Yuki was talking about a different kind of feeling. The mushy-gushy-fluttery kind of feeling people make movies about. And she definitely did not have fluttery feelings about Rihan (right?).

But then, there was that one time on her porch…after Rihan had tied up her foot…when she had actually _wanted_ to have his lips pressed against hers…

Wakana almost felt her lips turn up in a smile at the memory but she caught herself and shook her head. She grabbed her pillow and screamed into it, hoping to let out some frustration.

'_Snap out of it! This isn't like you! Stop having weird thoughts about stupid fluttery feelings!'_

Wakana lay very still face-down on her pillow for a very long time (approximately five minutes) before deciding she needed a third party advice. One party was herself who was very confused; another was her friends who were firmly rooted in their 'go to the police' idea. So the third party would have to be…

Wakana winced.

Well, it certainly can't be her father though, could it?

~/ *** \~

Tomoe was sitting in the living room with a book in her hand as she waited patiently as she heard her daughter's soft footsteps. She had heard her daughter's uncharacteristic scream (not even the pillow could have muffled Wakana's high-pitched voice).

She watched over the top of the cheesy romance novel she was reading as Wakana came to a halt in front of her.

"Okaa-san…"

"Yes dear?" Tomoe asked good-naturedly.

"I wanted to ask you something…" Wakana trailed off. She paused for a minute, before continuing. "It's kind of…sort of…about a guy..."

"Hmmm…," Tomoe hummed with fake contemplation. "This wouldn't happen to be the same young man, who snuck into your room a few days ago, now would it?"

Tomoe smiled inwardly a little at the look of abject horror on her little girl's face. Wakana's mouth opened and closed multiple times, unable to form words. Tomoe gave her a sympathetic look and patted the space beside her on the couch. Wordlessly, Wakana sat down.

"He was very good-looking, although a bit too old for you, don't you think dear?" Tomoe asked in the same light-heartedly (she had no idea on how correct the 'too old for you' business was).

"He's not that old-" Wakana frowned before realizing what she was saying. "I mean no-that's not what I men-I mean he's not the one..." She took a deep breath. "You won't tell Otou-san, will you?"

Tomoe silently shook her head as she fixed Wakana with a penetrating stare. "You and I can have our girl talk, Wakana. Your father need not know. As much as I love him, I know better than to give him too much information."

Wakana nodded. "It's not about Rihan…It's more about…boys in general…"

Tomoe nodded encouragingly.

"When you met Otou-san, did you love him immediately?" Wakana burst out.

Tomoe shook her head. "I'm afraid I didn't. But your father grew on me eventually. I started growing fond of him and then the feelings grew from there."

Tomoe noted the fact that Wakana looked crestfallen and wondered if this Rihan fellow had been a love-at-first-sight deal.

"Love is very powerful word. It's not going to happen at once. It takes time to grow and develop. It's takes a lot thinking too. It's not all 'passionate flights of the heart'," Tomoe told her daughter consolingly.

"No, it's not that…It's just…I didn't like Rihan at first either…" Wakana sighed dolefully before her eyes widened dramatically. "I mean, I don't! I don't like him. Not at first, not now either!" she corrected herself frantically. "Excuse me Okaa-san, I-I-I need to go fi-finish my ho-homework."

Tomoe nodded and turned her eyes back to her novel as Wakana started rushing up the stairs.

"Oh and Wakana, its fine if you invite him up to your room as long as you two don't do anything 'naughty' alright?"

And Tomoe chuckled silently at her daughter's mortified yell.

~/ *** \~

True to her word, Wakana went up to her room to try and study. The homework was fairly easy too, if a certain stalker did not keep creeping up into her mind. She sighed and lay her head down on the table. When she raised her head, she felt her eyes covered by a pair of hands. She would have yelled had she not recognized the familiar voice whispering, "Guess who?"

And she was hit with an overpowering smell of the cherry blossoms. She swallowed hard against the scent and hissed, "Get out of my room, you creep!"

Rihan laughed and removed his hands. "Wrong answer," he smirked and flopped down among her pillows.

Wakana glared at him and tried to ignore the worms squirming in her stomach (because butterflies are too mainstream). However, there was no controlling the very obvious blush across her cheeks which had Rihan smiling.

"You look good in red, y'know? It suits you," Rihan teasingly told her. Her glare intensified.

"You should stop doing this," she told him seriously.

"Doing what?" he asked a little too innocently.

"This! Sneaking into my room! It's a massive invasion of privacy!" she told him shrilly.

"It worked fine for my parents," Rihan replied.

"Your parents?! Wait, your dad used to sneak into your mom's house?!"

"Yep."

"And that worked for them?"

"I'm sitting right here, aren't I?"

"No wonder you're so weird," Wakana told him crossly. "Regardless, it won't work with me."

"Who says I'm trying to work anything with _you_?" Rihan spoke with mock incredulity. "Unless you want me to, that is." And the flirting tone was back.

"No, I don't want anything to do with you," Wakana blushed furiously. "Stay. Away. From. Me."

Despite the rather clear message Rihan continued to linger in her room. Finally he came to rest behind Wakana's chair and stared as she worked (or tried to at least).

"What are you writing? A three-part novel?"

"No," Wakana said snappishly. "It's an essay on youkai and onmyouji. It's for the mythology part of our history class."

"Mythology?" Rihan asked disbelievingly. "You mean you don't believe in youkai?"

"Of course not!" Wakana lied easily. "They're just children's stories." It wasn't the truth and Wakana knew it. But she had buried the memory of that encounter so deeply in her mind that the lie came easily to her.

"Youkai are real, y'know?" Rihan told her seriously. Too seriously. "You would be wise to be careful of them."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever," Wakana replied in what she hoped was a dismissive voice. "You have your beliefs, I have mine."

Behind her, she heard Rihan heave a heavy sigh. Before she could ask about it though, he changed the subject.

"I got you something," he told her airily. She raised her eyebrows at him. "You have to close your eyes first."

"If it's a kiss, I don't want it," she told him stubbornly.

"It's not a kiss, although now that you mention it, I wish I had thought of that."

"Rihan!"

"I'm joking! Just close your eyes will you?" he told her.

Wakana eyed him suspiciously before closing her eyes. She also made sure to purse her lips together as tightly as possible. You know, as an added precaution. Her expression must have been funny because Rihan laughed.

"Here you go," he snickered from behind her and Wakana felt something heavy on her lap. She opened her eyes and saw a tiny wicker basket with three chocolate bunnies in it sitting in her lap. She picked one up and glanced at Rihan who shrugged.

"They reminded me of you," he told her. "Do you like them?"

"Like them? I love them," Wakana gushed. "They're adorable!" And so staying, she bit the head clean off of one of the bunnies.

"Thank you," she told him with a mouth full of chocolate, all animosity momentarily forgotten.

Rihan leaned in behind her and whispered in her ear, "You're welcome, Wakana-chan." And then he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Wakana's eyes widened and she almost choked on her chocolate. She swallowed hard and turned in her chair to give Rihan a piece of her mind…except that he was gone. Again.

"That jerk," Wakana mumbled. And the spot where his lips brushed her cheek seemed to burn for hours.

~/ *** \~

**A/N:** Not much happening this chapter except for a tender mother-daughter moment and oh-what's this? Wakana has had previous (disturbing) encounters with youkai? Bet you didn't see that one coming did you?!

Next chapter, Wakana meets youkai Rihan. Yay! Until then, leave a review!


	7. Encounter 7: Youkai

**A/N:** I actually have a very good (if slightly unbelievable and long-winded) reason for not updating in so long. I was going to put it in this note but then I decided not to bore you. Anyway, enjoy!

~/ *** \~

Wakana was feeling guilty but she couldn't help it. Today, Yuki was busy with extracurricular activities, helping to organise a school function and Ai was at home, sick with the flu or was it the common cold?

Today, both of her best friends were absent when the bell rang, signaling the end of school and Wakana couldn't help but feel relieved. And that was the reason for her guilt. After all, what kind of a friend felt _relieved_ when her other friends weren't with her? A terrible one indeed.

But the reason for her relief? Well, for the first time, she could walk home with Rihan without Yuki's worried glances or Ai's venomous ones. Yes, you read right. _Walk_ home with _Rihan_. Wakana wasn't entirely sure of when exactly this practice had started but she found that she didn't quite mind it as much as she should have. She almost kind of…looked forward to it. Over the last few days, she had realised exactly how little she knew about Rihan. The walks somewhat remedied that.

The few things she had learnt about him were that he was apparently incredibly wealthy and from an old family that had lived around these parts for ages. She had learnt that his favorite drink was sake (she had made a face and a few jokes at that) and that he had a best friend he was deathly afraid of and who often chased him around town. She learnt that his house had a sakura tree that he was fond of sitting on and…that was all.

Maybe that was why she allowed him to continue 'stalking' her. No matter how much time she spent with him or how much they talked, Rihan remained an enigma. She hardly knew anything about him. And then there was also her mysteriously healed foot and his equally mysterious disappearing act…although the tree-climbing skills might have something to do with the latter.

It was with her guilty thoughts, standing outside the gate of her school that Wakana spotted the familiar green-and-black yukata.

"Rihan!" she cried out loudly (determinedly telling herself that no, she was not excited to see him). Except, hers wasn't the only voice that called out. Wakana blinked at the blond man standing a few feet away from her. The blond man stared back, wide-eyed before abruptly pulling his scarf a little tighter around his neck.

Wakana glanced back. Rihan had disappeared. She turned back to the blond.

"Um…hi," she said uncertainly. "I'm Wakana. Might I ask your name?"

~/ *** \~

"So you're Rihan's best friend!" Wakana laughed as she walked beside Kubinashi who had taken Rihan's place in walking her home.

"Really?" Kubinashi blinked, feeling touched. "He called me his best friend?"

That wasn't what he was usually referred to as after all. He was Rihan's right-hand man, sure, but to be called his best friend? That was higher honour all together.

"Mmm-hmm," Wakana replied. "You're a lot more normal than I expected. No offence meant!" she added hastily.

"None taken," Kubinashi replied cordially. "What do you mean by 'normal'?

"Well…" Wakana hesitated. "He kind of describes you as a bit more…crazy. He says that you chase him around town and that you're obsessed with him…things like that."

"Oh, he says that, does he?" Kubinashi growled, a tick developing on his forehead. And just like that, that heart-warming affection for his boss disappeared, replaced with a burning desire to se Rihan cower.

"Anyway," Wakana hastily changed the subject. "What does Rihan do all day?"

"Not much," Kubinashi answered. "He just takes care of a few household businesses with the family and such things." Well, that wasn't a complete lie, right?

Wakana shook her head. "I meant his profession," she clarified, sounding curious. "What does he do?"

"Oh… he… doesn't work," Kubinashi said awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Wakana obviously did not know about the nature of the Nura Clan "His family is very wealthy," he finally said.

"He says the same thing," Wakana grumbled, clearly aggravated. "It's so frustrating. He'll only ever say a few short sentences about himself. I feel like I barely know him at all!"

"How long has Wakana-san known Rihan, anyway?" Kubinashi curiously inquired. As adorable as she was he felt compelled to know more about why exactly his boss was hanging around with this human.

"Oh...A few weeks at least, I think," Wakana frowned, trying to remember. "He keeps following me around. I've given up hope on trying to get him to stop," she sighed exasperatedly.

"So that's where he's been going off to!" Kubinashi laughed out loud. "I've been so worried! I thought he was getting depressed again because it's nearing that day!" By which he meant the day of Yamabuki Otome's disappearance. Kubinashi couldn't describe the relief he felt. Almost every year, during this time, Rihan would become withdrawn and depressed and would disappear often. Kubinashi had long since stopped trying to find him, understanding that he wanted to be alone but that didn't stop him from worrying. But this time, instead of sulking, he had been smiling more often. That had worried Kubinashi _even_ more. To learn that this year, instead of going out and brooding on his own, he had been visiting this sweet girl made Kubinashi smile.

"What 'day'?" Wakana asked, curiosity sparking in her brown eyes.

"Oh…um…" Kubinashi stuttered, suddenly flustered. "I…that's sort of…"

"Private?" Wakana asked. Her face showed concern and understanding. "You don't have to tell me. I don't want to pry."

Kubinashi smiled at her gratefully and she smiled in return. After a few moments, Kubinashi inquiringly asked, "So Rihan has been following around for a few weeks? At the least?"

Wakana huffed loudly. "It's so annoying! He gets on my nerves so much! But I guess I don't mind him that much now. He's kind of…grown on me," she admitted softly and Kubinashi couldn't help but chuckle at the blush that spread across her cheeks.

Wakana. The woman who made Rihan smile so much more often nowadays. He liked her, Kubinashi decided. And he was sure that the rest of the clan would too.

~/ *** \~

"You know, Kubinashi approves of you."

Wakana's pen slipped up a bit due to the sudden intrusion and she sighed, irritated at the cause. She turned around to face her stalker, sitting at the windowsill, as comfortable as if it were his house instead of hers. Wakana didn't even bother to tell him to get out anymore. In the back of her mind, she knew that even if he didn't follow the order, she should still keep the practice up but she just couldn't worry about it anymore. Another troubling sign she refused to examine more closely.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Wakana asked him, already aggravated by his presence.

"I mean that he likes you," Rihan explained to her in a patient manner, grinning brightly. He moved from the window to her bed, directly beside her table. "And that makes my job much easier. By the way," he added in a slightly more serious tone, "I told you about Kubinashi in strictest confidence. I didn't expect you to go and blab it all out to him!"

Ears turning slightly red, Wakana ignored the last part. Instead she asked, "Your job? What job?"

"You'll see soon enough," Rihan told her cryptically with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Never mind, I don't want to know," Wakana told him. She paused for a moment, considering. Well, the easiest way to get answers was to just ask the right questions, right? Why not give it a go? "What I do want to know is," Wakana continued, "how do you do all that?"

"Do all of what?" Rihan asked back, genuinely curious.

"You know, randomly appear and disappear all the time," Wakana replied hotly, aware that even to her own ears her words sounded stupid.

"Oh that," Rihan answered, face relaxing into a small smile. "I'm good at climbing trees. You have a tree beside this window. You keep said window open. It's not that hard. If you really wanted to keep me out, you'd keep that window closed. You really must want me here, huh?" Rihan's smile turned into a full-blown smirk and he raised an eyebrow archly.

Wakana cheeks flamed up instantly because that was preposterous (and maybe just slightly true) and she replied stormily, "I highly doubt that a closed window would keep out the likes of you."

Rihan inclined his head slightly, conceding to that.

"But that doesn't answer another question," Wakana continued and Rihan leaned forward, interested. "That day, when I sprained my ankle and you helped me out, my ankle was completely healed afterwards. And that makes no sense because sprains don't heal that easily. And…I don't know, Rihan…Somehow, I get the feeling that you had something to do with it," Wakana finished, anxiously biting her lip and waiting for an answer.

This time, Rihan's face turned completely serious. "You know, Wakana, I haven't been completely honest with you," he started and Wakana bent forward, intrigued. Rihan leaned forward too until their foreheads were almost touching. "The truth is I'm more than just a human," his cool breath blew over her face and she shivered slightly.

"I am...," Rihan said and Wakana waited for the answer. But as she looked, she could read a little uncertainty in his amber eyes before a cool smugness covered them. "…A ninja," he finished.

"Rihan!" Wakana cried out angrily. "Be serious! Ninja don't exist."

"You're really not a believer are you, Wakana?" Rihan shook his head in slight frustration. "Ninja don't exist. Youkai don't exist. How do you know?"

"What?" Wakana asked, taken aback.

"I said how do you know?" Rihan repeated, face completely serious. His golden eyes bore into her brown ones and Wakana could suddenly feel her heart at her throat. "They existed before, didn't they? They must have or where would the stories have come from?" Rihan reasoned. "How do you know that they don't still exist, hidden in plain sight?"

"Because," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "They don't. They never have. They don't _exist,_ Rihan," she told him forcefully. And by that, she meant the youkai. The desperation was clear in her voice. She needed this. She needed to believe that the supernatural didn't exist. And perhaps Rihan heard it in her voice too because he backed off, both literally and figuratively.

"Whatever you say, Wakana," he told her. His eyes were intense but his expressions were completely unreadable. Wakana turned around back to her homework, determined to ignore him for the rest of the night.

~/ *** \~

The next day at school Yuki was absent too, as were a number of other students. Apparently a flu bug was going around town. This time, Wakana did not feel relieved. She felt quite lonely. Rihan had excused himself rather abruptly after their little exchange. Wakana wasn't sure where he stood with him now. Would he show up today to walk with her? And if he didn't? And another wave of loneliness washed over her at the thought.

If only he wasn't so adamant on insisting on the existence of youkai and ninja! Really, what was with him? Wakana thought fiercely. It had been years since she had last thought of youkai and she was not about to start now.

_They don't exist,_ she thought to herself firmly._ They don't. They don't. They don't exist!_ She took in a deep breath and then exhaled sharply. _Relax Wakana. You'll get through today. You'll go home and you'll call your best friends. And Rihan wouldn't just stop talking to you over some stupid argument about ninjas. And if he does…well good riddance!_

But Wakana knew by the overwhelming gloom that settled over her at that last thought that she didn't really mean that. But she brushed all those thoughts from her head. No more Ai, Yuki, Rihan or youkai. Just focus on studies for one day!

And that had worked mostly. Wakana did manage to keep her thoughts about Ai and Yuki to a minimum and her thoughts about Rihan and youkai to a…mostly minimum. She got through the most of the day. It was only after the last period, after history with Hawatori-sensei that things began to go seriously wrong. They had a written class work, waiting to be graded when he asked.

"Wakana, could you help me to collect all the class work papers?"

And Wakana agreed. Of course she agreed. She was too nice not to. As the other students filed out, Wakana stayed behind to collect all the papers and Hawatori-sensei started dusting the board. Wakana gathered up all the papers and laid them on Hawatori-sensei's table before trying to take her leave.

"Just a moment, Wakana," he said softly.

"Yes?" she asked, a little confused so as to what he could possibly want now. But Hawatori-sensei didn't say anything. Instead he simply surveyed her with a critical eye which, Wakana realised with a jolt, was a strange violet colour.

After a few moments and he still didn't say anything, Wakana began to feel more than a little uncomfortable. She wasn't completely naïve. She knew about harassment and that sometimes teachers…could do some terrible…things to their female students. Just when she decided that enough was enough and that she had to bolt out of there, Hawatori-sensei finally spoke.

"I don't understand," he stated, sounding frustrated and Wakana blinked, more perplexed than ever before. "I just don't understand what he sees in you," he seemed to clarify but that didn't clarify anything for Wakana at all.

"Ummm…who do you mean?" she asked uncertainly.

"Why, the leader of the Nura Gumi of course!" he said with a little surprise. _The leader of the Nura Gumi? What Nura Gumi?_ Wakana thought baffled.Nura…where had she heard that before? Nura…Nura…_Rihan_.

"Nura…Rihan," she whispered, eyes wide. She had almost forgotten his last name. But what did that even mean? How did Hawatori-sensei know Rihan?

"Nura Rihan," Hawatori-sensei agreed softly. "I see he hasn't told you about his nature. I suppose I will have to be the one to tell you."

"Hawatori-sen-" Wakana began anxiously but was abruptly cut off.

"Oh please!" he snapped. "I'm not your sensei! He's been gone for weeks!"

"What?" Wakana asked, mortified and unable to comprehend exactly what was going on.

"He fell in a rabbit hole or something," the man who she now knew was _not_ her sensei said impatiently. "He broke his foot so I took the liberty to replace him."

"Wh…why…" Wakana was unable to get the words out properly. Something cold seemed to grip at her chest, almost making her choke. She was scared. She felt more afraid than ever before but she wasn't even sure of why or what or who she was afraid of. Just who was this guy?

"Why? Because you interest Nura Rihan. Thus by extension, you interest me," he explained calmly. "You know, he banished me from his clan. And for what? For attacking a human! We're youkai! That's what we do! And then he goes and starts roaming around you!"

He looked at Wakana contemptuously. And Wakana felt herself shivering uncontrollably, unable to grasp the reality of things. We're youkai…we're youkai…Rihan…was one of them? A youkai?

"You're so plain! So simple…so…so human!" the man, no the youkai growled. "And not even a beautiful human! Yet he still hangs around you! Disgraceful. Just like the Nura Clan to sully themselves like that."

The youkai sighed and walked around the teacher's table and Wakana instinctively took several steps backwards until she hit a desk, causing her to slip and fall. She was completely cornered. Why hadn't she run she's had the chance?

"Oh well, what do I care about what kind of filth they choose to associate with?" he loomed over, talking conversationally. He flicked a fingernail casually and Wakana realised that his nails were long, sharp and completely black and that his skin was slowly turning red. "It actually benefits me. You see, I'm not strong enough to take revenge on Nura Rihan for humiliating me myself. Nor any of the others in his clan. But you. I can cut you up very nicely and leave you for Nura Rihan to find."

Wakana felt something hot and wet on her face and realised that she was crying. And then it became clearer that she was probably going to die. She wanted to scream, to run, to do something! But she was completely paralyzed, unable to do anything but stare up at him in silent horror.

"Before we begin," he continued affably, "let me introduce myself. I am-"

"You," a cold voice interrupted behind him, "are _dead_."

Wakana watched as the youkai's eyes widened with the same horror that she was feeling. It lasted for a split-second. Then there was blood. So, so much blood. Everywhere on floor. Kami, was it on her clothes too?

As the youkai slumped forward, she saw the owner of the cold voice. Rihan. Only, it was a side of Rihan she had never seen before. Instead of a long, loose ponytail his hair was standing up behind his head. He held a blade that was the same length as his arm which was dripping with blood. Worst of all was his expression. Instead of a laid-back, easy-going grin, his expression was cold, glaring mercilessly at the fallen figure.

_Youkai._

That's when the pressure from her chest lifted and Wakana lost her head completely. She screamed.

~/ *** \~

When Wakana started screaming, Rihan immediately abandoned Nenekimaru and his enemy to kneel before her.

"Wakana please," he pleaded softly, distressed. "Wakana, please stop it. Stop crying."

But she didn't stop crying. If anything she started sobbing harder. Rihan didn't know what to do. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was not how he had planned for her to find out about him. But when did things ever go as planned?

"Wakana," he tried again, grabbing her wrist but she flinched away from his touch. He ignored the sting he felt at that. "Please look at me."

Wakana screwed her eyes shut even tighter and shook her head. "You-you-you're a-a youkai!" she screeched even harder. The tone she took with him…that frightened voice…it hurt even more.

"Yes," he admitted, placing his palms on her cheeks and softly wiping away her tears. "I am. But that doesn't mean I'm bad or that I'm the same as him. _Look _at me, Wakana. Please," he pleaded and to his relief she slowly opened her eyes, still full to the brim with tears. "I'm still the same. I'm still the same Rihan," he insisted. "And I would never hurt you. I love you. You have to believe that Wakana. I love you."

Her beautiful brown eyes stared up at him, wide-eyed and disbelieving before she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist too.

"I love you," he whispered again.

~/ *** \~

_When Wakana was young, she and her parents had lived with her paternal grandparents at their house. For a long time, Wakana had been happy…until she had been given her own room._

'_You're too old to be sleeping so near to your parents,' they had told her._

_So Wakana had gotten her own room and that's when the terror had started. Every night, above her bed, she would see a pair of glowing red eyes and a sharp mouth filled with pointy white teeth. The mouth would laugh, a cold and cruel cackle, and Wakana would cower beneath her covers. She would shiver as she heard the thing rustling around her room, laughing._

_Almost every night, she had ended up back at her parents' room with them comforting her. Her mother would hold her and her father would grumble slightly but he would turn on the lights. Her mother would whisper into her ear._

'_It's your imagination, sweetie. It doesn't exist. Youkai don't exist.'_

_It hadn't work. Wakana's nighttime terrors eventually got so bad that her father had to switch jobs and move houses, away from her grandparents. She had always felt incredibly guilty about that later. However, at the time, she could only focus on how happy she was to be away from that terrible house._

_The first night in her new house Wakana still had trouble sleeping, expecting to see the red eyes pop out any minute. She kept shivering and tossing around until her mother had quietly slipped in beside her. She had hugged Wakana. Holding her daughter tight, she had whispered-_

'_Repeat after me, Wakana. Youkai don't exist. Monsters don't exist. They don't exist.'_

_Wakana had inhaled deeply, taking in her mother's reassuring scent of lemons, and had repeated._

'_Youkai don't exist.'_

~/ *** \~

When Wakana woke up again, she had a splitting headache. She found her mother hovering near her.

"I think you've caught the flu," Tomoe announced to her befuddled daughter. "When I got home, I found you sleeping and red-faced. I took your temperature. You have a light fever at the least."

She removed a tray from Wakana's table and placed it on her bed. "Here's some chicken soup. You need to finish all that up. Then, and only then, you can have some chocolate. Oh and…"

Wakana silently picked up the spoon and ladled the clear soup into her mouth. She stared blankly as she drank, unable to concentrate on her mother's words properly. Her head was swimming with the scent of cherry blossoms and the words that kept reverberating around her head.

'_I love you. You have to believe that Wakana. I love you.'_

~/ *** \~

**A/N:** What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Leave a review! I had actually found a real youkai to take Hawatori's place but I lost its name when I lost all my notes which is part of the reason of my delayed update. If you want to know the reason, ask me in a review and I'll reply in a PM. XD.


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